provider
AmericanOther Word Forms
- nonprovider noun
Etymology
Origin of provider
Explanation
A provider is a person who gives someone something they need. If your parents both have jobs so they can feed you and buy you what you need, you can call them providers. Your mom's a provider if she works so she can care for you, put food on the table, and send you to school. There are other types of providers as well, although they all give you something you need, often a service. Your school is a provider of education, and the pharmacy around the corner is a provider of medication, makeup, and magazines. It's increasingly common to call your main doctor a "primary care provider."
Vocabulary lists containing provider
Father's Day Words
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 5
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"A Raisin in the Sun," "My Father is a Simple Man," and "My Mother Pieced Quilts"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The firm is a major provider of chatbot tools to Chinese businesses, and the performance of its latest "GLM-5" model impressed developer communities.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Additionally, the Dutch payments provider said that it would acquire brand rewards-and-incentives platform Talon.One for 750 million euro.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Trump’s words during the Persian Gulf conflict have impacted the price of oil, as this chart on X from Rory Johnston, founder of oil-market research provider Commodity Context, shows.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
Although the oilfield service provider posted better-than-expected revenue, profitability fell in the first quarter as CEO Olivier Le Peuch cited the impact of ongoing disruptions in the Middle East.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
“What God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. I’m very satisfied. Your father is a good provider and he is kind to me.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
